{"id":490563,"date":"2026-01-04T00:13:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T00:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/490563\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T00:13:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T00:13:20","slug":"venezuelan-president-maduro-arrives-in-new-york-following-u-s-capture-full-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/490563\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelan President Maduro arrives in New York following U.S. capture: Full coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Trump on Saturday said the United States would temporarily “run” Venezuela after the capture of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in an overnight operation that he said was an \u201cassault like people have not seen since World War II.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump said the U.S. was prepared to launch a second and significantly larger military operation in Venezuela if necessary, even as he suggested it may not be needed. The president also said he was not afraid of putting \u201cboots on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe probably do not need to do a second, but we are prepared for a second wave \u2014 a much bigger wave, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later Saturday, Maduro and his wife arrived by plane to Newburgh, New York. Maduro is expected to face drug and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court next week. Earlier, Trump posted a photo online<\/a> of what he said was Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima.<\/p>\n

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said<\/a> that Maduro and Flores are charged in a federal indictment<\/a> unsealed in New York, accusing them of conspiring with drug trafficking organizations to ship cocaine into the U.S. Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were first indicted<\/a> on narco-terrorism charges in 2020, though he has repeatedly denied the allegations.<\/p>\n

Venezuela\u2019s interim president, Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, criticized the U.S. in a nationally televised address, calling the operation that captured Maduro an act of \u201cmilitary aggression\u201d aimed at regime change. The comments appeared to contradict Trump’s claims that the U.S. could work with her to oversee the country\u2019s transition. Earlier Saturday, the Venezuelan government declared a state of emergency and said said it would mobilize to “defeat this imperialist aggression.”<\/p>\n

The legality of the U.S. operation was also questioned by Democrats. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence justifying military action without approval from Congress and warned of the risk of instability in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Live29 updates<\/p>\n